Lori Cormack

A former St Andrews High pupil is running the London Marathon this weekend to raise money for Leukemia CARE after his niece was diagnosed with the disease.

Ryan Dunning (31) will join hundreds of thousands of other runners at the start line on Sunday morning for the annual sports event through the streets of central London.

Signing up for the race last summer, Ryan – who now lives in Aberdeen – has worked hard to build up the stamina needed for the 26 mile distance.

He said: “Because it’s an April race, most of the training has been through the winter which has been tough. Running in the wind and the rain isn’t nice!”

This will be Ryan’s first marathon, having completed a half marathon once before.

“It’ll be a bit of a change,” he said. “But I’ve always wanted to do one and so this is the perfect opportunity and the perfect cause.

“I’m excited and nervous for the race itself.”

Ryan, who is a processing engineer, is raising money for the Leukemia CARE, which has 15 support groups across the UK.

His three-year-old niece Darci was diagnosed with the disease shortly after moving to Saudi Arabia with her parents last year.

She has already received intense chemotherapy, and is continuing to get treatment for the disease.

Ryan set a target of £2000, and has already smashed it. Friends and family have pledged a fantastic £2700 on his online fundraising page, over the last year, and the page will remain open for three months after the race.

“Everyone has been so generous and I’m really grateful for that,” he said.

If you would like to donate, you can do so at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Runningfordarci